The Bologna logo is the official crest of Bologna Football Club 1909, one of the oldest clubs in Italian football. It features an oval divided into sections that display red and blue vertical stripes, a red cross on white, and the letters “BFC” above the founding year “1909.”
Founded on October 3, 1909 at the Ronzani beer house, the club had Swiss dentist Louis Rauch as first president, with young Bohemian Emilio Arnstein as the driving force behind it. The crest has gone through several redesigns since 1946, but its structure and core elements have stayed mostly the same for decades.
This makes it one of those rare badges in Serie A where you can actually trace a direct visual line from the mid-20th century to today. The current version, introduced in 2018, refined the previous design rather than starting from scratch. That’s a choice not every club makes, and it says something about how Bologna views its own history.
What Is the Bologna FC Logo?
The Bologna logo is an oval crest with “BFC” and “1909” on navy above red and blue stripes on the left and a red cross on white on the right. The current version dates from 2018, with darker colors and a platinum border. No designer has been publicly credited.
Bologna logo at a glance
| Symbol | Red and blue stripes beside a red cross on white, in an oval |
| Designer/agency | Not publicly credited |
| Current version since | 2018 |
| Colors (hex) | Navy #1A2F48, red #A21C26, white #FFFFFF, light silver #ECECEC (TeamColorCodes estimates) |
| Typeface | Custom Art Nouveau style “BFC” lettering, no named font |
| Previous major version | Brighter 1993 to 2018 crest with a yellow border |
How Has the Bologna FC Logo Evolved Over Time?
The Bologna crest has changed several times, but it has never been fully replaced.
Early versions are poorly documented. Later iterations settled on the oval shape, stripes and cross. The dates that keep showing up are 1946, the early 1990s, 1993 and 2018.
Original Bologna FC Logo (1909-1946)
- Years Active: 1909-1946
- Design Description: Early badges are thinly documented. Italian Wikipedia describes an original logo in dark blue and dark red with Art Nouveau style “BFC” lettering
- Color Scheme: Red and blue, from the club’s first shirts
- Designer: Not publicly credited
- Context: The club began as a section of the Circolo Turistico Bolognese and became independent in 1910. Bologna won six of its seven league titles in this period, starting in 1924-25
- Cultural Significance: These early years established the red-and-blue identity behind the nickname “Rossoblù”
Post-War Bologna Logo (1946-1991)
- Years Active: 1946-1991 (crest catalogues differ on the end date)
- Design Description: An oval crest with “BFC” on a dark top field, red-and-blue stripes on the left and a red cross on the right, framed by a gold-brown rim
- Color Scheme: Brighter red and blue, white, gold
- Designer: Not publicly credited
- Cultural Significance: The crest of the seventh league title in 1963-64 and the Coppa Italia wins of 1970 and 1974, and also of the hard years that followed
Shield-Backed Bologna Logo (about 1991-1993)
- Years Active: About 1991-1993
- Design Description: The oval set on a white shield with a yellow outline and a diagonal blue and red band behind it
- Color Scheme: Red, blue, white, bright yellow
- Designer: Not publicly credited
- Context: A short phase just before the club’s bankruptcy and 1993 refounding
Restructured Bologna Logo (1993-2018)
- Years Active: 1993-2018
- Design Description: A vertically stretched oval. The left side has vertical blue and red stripes, and the right side has a red cross outlined in blue on white. “BFC” sits in white on a solid blue field at the top, with “1909” directly below
- Color Scheme: Medium blue, bright red, white, yellow/gold border
- Designer: Not publicly credited
- Context: After bankruptcy the club was refounded as Bologna Football Club 1909. This crest saw the return to Serie A in 1996 and the UEFA Intertoto Cup win in 1998
- Key Changes from Previous: The shield backdrop went away, and “1909” joined the “BFC” initials to mark the new club name
- Cultural Significance: It lasted 25 years. In 2017, a tone-on-tone white and blue version on the shirts angered fans, and the club replied that the official crest wasn’t changing
Current Bologna Logo (2018-Present)
- Years Active: 2018-present
- Design Description: The same oval structure and layout as the 1993 version, but with refined contours and a darker color palette. Red moved deeper, blue went close to navy, and the gold border became platinum
- Color Scheme: Navy, deep red, white, platinum
- Designer: Not publicly credited
- Context: Introduced under Joey Saputo’s ownership. We couldn’t find a club statement explaining the change
- Cultural Significance: This version has represented Bologna during its strongest recent run, including Champions League qualification in 2023-24 under Thiago Motta and the 2025 Coppa Italia
What Do the Design Elements of the Bologna FC Logo Mean?
The Bologna crest combines the club and the city.
The red and blue stripes are the club’s shirt colors. The cross recalls the flag of the city of Bologna. And the “BFC 1909” text grounds the badge in the club’s founding identity.
That’s the whole formula, and it’s easy to read.
Why Did Bologna FC Choose These Specific Colors?
This is where many articles get it wrong. Bologna’s colors don’t come from the city’s heraldry.
According to the club’s history, first captain Arrigo Gradi trained in the shirt of a Swiss college called Schönberg, with red and blue quarters. Those colors became the official kit, and in 1910 the quarters gave way to vertical stripes.
The nickname followed: “Rossoblù.”
Reading blue as loyalty or red as intensity is general color psychology, not a documented decision by the club. White, meanwhile, provides the contrast that makes the other elements readable.
What Typography Style Is Used in the Bologna FC Logo?
The “BFC” in the logo is custom lettering rather than a commercially available font. We found no credible source that names a typeface or a close free match.
Italian Wikipedia traces the Art Nouveau style of the letters back to the club’s original logo. They sit somewhere apart from a standard sans-serif or serif typeface, and the small “c” is the giveaway.
The “1909” below uses a cleaner, bolder style. This creates a subtle typographic hierarchy where the initials draw the eye first and the date sits underneath. The typography on the shirts is a separate design that changes with the kits.
What Are the Hidden Meanings in the Bologna FC Logo?
There’s no documented hidden message. The closest thing is the cross, which most people outside Italy wouldn’t connect to Bologna.
The vertical split of the crest into stripes and cross is basically the club saying: “We’re this city’s team.”
The tall oval gives the badge a formal look. It’s a shape it shares with crests like Milan’s and the old Atalanta oval, so it’s not unique, but the proportions are distinctive.
How Does the Bologna FC Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
Many Serie A crests use shields or circles, and Bologna’s stretched oval stands out in that lineup.
Compared to rivals, the badge is more traditional than Juventus’s emblem (which went full minimalist in 2017) and shares its oval-and-cross structure with the AC Milan crest.
It also shares color DNA with Genoa’s badge (both clubs use red and blue), but Genoa leans on its griffin, while Bologna sticks with its stripe-and-cross formula.
The Fiorentina logo uses a completely different approach with its lily. Napoli’s badge is simpler, built around the letter “N.” And Roma’s crest pulls from Roman mythology with the she-wolf.
Bologna’s design sits somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. Not minimalist, not overly complex. Just traditional, in the best sense.
What Are the Bologna FC Logo Colors?
We found no club-published RGB or CMYK values, so these hex codes are references rather than official specs. They come from TeamColorCodes, which calls them estimates:
- Navy Blue: #1A2F48
- Red: #A21C26 (another chart lists #9F1F33)
- White: #FFFFFF
- Light Silver: #ECECEC, for the platinum border
We couldn’t verify any public brand guidelines for the crest, so size and spacing rules found online shouldn’t be treated as the club’s.
What Cultural Impact Has the Bologna FC Logo Had?
The Bologna crest is closely connected to the city’s identity. For many residents, this badge sits alongside the Two Towers and the porticoes as a symbol of civic pride.
The “Rossoblù” colors have become shorthand for the city’s football.
When Bologna qualified for the Champions League in 2024, the badge gained international exposure it hadn’t seen in decades, and the 2025 Coppa Italia, the club’s first major trophy in 51 years, brought it back to the front pages.
Because the 2018 redesign kept things recognizable rather than pulling a Juventus-style rebrand, the crest still looks like Bologna. The 2017 shirt row showed how much that continuity matters to fans.
How Does the Bologna FC Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
The logo sits at the center of what Bologna FC does visually. Its navy and red extend to the matchday kits, the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, the club’s channels and merchandise, although no public brand style guide is available.
The crest’s cross connects it to the broader identity of the city of Bologna.
The “BFC 1909” text ties the club to its founding history, which matters when you’re trying to communicate legacy. Under Joey Saputo’s ownership, the club has kept that history in view.
That’s a tricky balance to get right. Too modern and you lose the old guard. Too traditional and younger fans don’t connect with it. Bologna’s current crest leans traditional, with enough polish that it doesn’t feel dated.
How Should the Bologna FC Logo Be Used?
This is general guidance rather than club policy, since we found no public rules from Bologna FC itself.
Treat the crest as a trademark. Merchandise and other commercial use need the club’s written permission. News and commentary are a different case, but check local law, and don’t suggest the club endorses you.
For design work, keep the mark complete and avoid cropping, recoloring or distorting it. For print applications, vector formats hold up better than a JPEG pulled from the web, if you have approved access to them.
FAQ on the Bologna Logo
What does the Bologna FC logo look like?
The Bologna FC 1909 crest is a tall oval. “BFC” and “1909” sit in white on a dark blue field at the top. Red and blue stripes run down the left, and a red cross on white fills the right.
Why are red and blue the colors on the Bologna logo?
They came from a shirt, not from the city. Bologna’s own history says first captain Arrigo Gradi trained in the red and blue quartered shirt of a Swiss college called Schönberg, and those colors became the official kit.
That’s why fans call the team “Rossoblù.”
When was the current Bologna logo introduced?
The current version dates from 2018. It kept the structure of the 1993 design, darkened the colors, and changed the gold border to platinum. Bright red became a deeper red and blue went close to navy.
What does the cross on the Bologna badge mean?
It’s a red cross on a white field, commonly called St. George’s Cross, and it recalls the flag of the city of Bologna. It’s the part of the crest that ties the club to its city.
Who designed the Bologna FC logo?
No individual designer or agency has been publicly credited for the current crest, and we found no credit for earlier versions.
What did the old Bologna logo look like?
The 1946 version was already an oval, with “BFC” on a dark top, a gold rim, and stripes and a cross below. A shield-backed version with a diagonal red and blue band followed in the early 1990s. The 1993 crest added “1909” and a yellow border.
Has the Bologna logo changed over the years?
Yes, though never radically. Published histories list versions in 1946, around 1991, 1993 and 2018, and the “BFC”, stripes and cross run through all of them.
What font is used in the Bologna logo?
No named font. “BFC” is custom lettering in an Art Nouveau style with a distinctive small “c”, which Italian Wikipedia traces back to the club’s original logo. We found no credible source naming a typeface or free match.
What are the color codes for the Bologna logo?
TeamColorCodes estimates navy at #1A2F48, red at #A21C26, white at #FFFFFF and light silver at #ECECEC. These aren’t club-published values. Another chart lists the red as #9F1F33, so treat them as close references.
What does BFC stand for?
BFC stands for Bologna Football Club. The “1909” marks the founding year, and it entered the crest after the club was refounded in 1993 as Bologna Football Club 1909.
Where does Bologna FC play?
Bologna plays in Serie A at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. The club was founded on 3 October 1909, has seven league titles, and won the Coppa Italia in 2025. Joey Saputo’s group took over in 2014.
Can I use the Bologna logo for my project?
As general guidance, treat the crest as a club trademark. Commercial use needs written permission from the club. News and commentary are a different case, but this isn’t legal advice, and it isn’t the club’s published policy.
Conclusion
The Bologna logo is one of those football crests that actually means something beyond the pitch. Its stripes carry the story of a borrowed Swiss school shirt, and its cross carries the city.
The 2018 redesign proved you can refresh a badge without gutting its identity. Darker tones, cleaner contours, same soul. The typeface question has no neat answer, but the lettering is part of the charm.
For a club competing in Serie A with seven league titles and growing international recognition, the crest does exactly what it needs to do. It represents Bologna the city and Bologna the team in a single oval mark.
Few emblems in Italian football manage that connection so cleanly.
Sources
- Bologna FC 1909, History – https://bolognafc.it/en/history
- Wikipedia (Italian), Bologna Football Club 1909 – https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna_Football_Club_1909
- Wikipedia, Bologna FC 1909 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna_FC_1909
- World Soccer Pins, Historical Crests: Bologna FC 1909 – https://www.worldsoccerpins.com/historical-crests-bologna-fc-1909
- 1000 Logos, Bologna Logo – https://1000logos.net/bologna-logo/amp/
- Calcio e Finanza, Nuovo logo Bologna, Winterling – https://www.calcioefinanza.it/?p=26092
- TeamColorCodes, Bologna FC Colors – https://teamcolorcodes.com/bologna-fc-color-codes/
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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